Gender Feminine
Usage Popular Culture
Scripts 稲妻(Japanese Kanji) いなずま(Japanese Hiragana) イナズマ(Japanese Katakana)
Meaning & History
Notably borne by the character Inazuma (稲妻) from the 'Usagi Yojimbo' comic book series, this name refers to (a flash of) lightning. It combines 稲 (ina), the ancient bound form of ine meaning "rice plant," and 妻/夫 (tsuma), originally referring to a spouse (nowadays, only referring to a wife, written as 妻), based on an ancient belief that rice plants would mate with or otherwise be fertilised by lightning, which frequently occurs in late summer and autumn.In Japan, it is only used as a (rare) surname.